The UK has signed a \u201crebooted\u201d defence agreement with Dublin that could mean the Royal Navy responding to hostile ships and other issues in Irish waters.<\/p>\n
The deal, announced at the second post-Brexit Ireland-UK summit, held in Cork on Friday, updates a 2016 agreement to include cyber-threats and the sabotage of critical internet and electricity undersea cables.<\/p>\n
It comes after a series of incidents in the Irish Sea in the last 18 months, including the escorting of a Russian spy ship<\/a> after it entered and patrolled an area containing critical energy and internet submarine pipelines and cables.<\/p>\n In an apparent reference to Russia, the taoiseach, Miche\u00e1l Martin, said: \u201cWe know what\u2019s happened in other seas where there has been interventions, we know that certain elements have been observing the cables and other vital infrastructure, and so that\u2019s the context, and it\u2019s to protect that and to make sure we can respond effectively if an event was to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if it would involve the Royal Navy patrolling Irish waters, he said he \u201cwould not get into specifics\u201d but \u201cit\u2019s not patrolling\u201d.<\/p>\n The UK defence secretary, John Healey, said: \u201cThis rebooted memorandum of understanding modernises our framework for cooperation on areas critical to both our nations\u2019 security, in particular to counter the growing undersea and cyber-threats we share.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s poor defence has been the subject of criticism domestically and internationally, partly because 75% of all transatlantic cables go through or close to Ireland, giving it an outsized strategic importance in Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n